


Fronds Forever

by Le_purple



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Blood, Body Horror, Dead Aradia Megido, Empress Feferi Peixes, Feferi did not grow up into a good person, Gen, Helmstroll Aradia Megido, Helmstroll Sollux Captor, Helmstrolls, Minor Eridan Ampora/Sollux Captor, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Pain, Psionics, Sad, Sadstuck, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-03-08 17:46:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18899569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Le_purple/pseuds/Le_purple
Summary: Aradia never thought that she would be a helmstroll, much less a helmstroll owned by Eridan.(Originally posted 28-5-19)





	Fronds Forever

"Why?"  
The helmsblock buzzed with energy, Eridan losing his composure somewhat as the biowires sparked.  
"Why?" Aradia uttered, her hollow words almost muted from the static that blared through her speakers. "Why!"

"B-because Fef-" Eridan stammered, stepping back from her crackling body, her already eerie form bordering on demonic as her hair rose, white and burgundy spasming with her trapped arms and legs.

"Why?! Why me! There are much m0re p0werful tr0lls than me! I'm n0t even a yellowbl00d."

"Look! I KNOWW that havvin you as a helmstroll is a fuckin awweful idea, ok!" Eridan yelled, feeling like a rat in a hot cage "But Fef wwanted you in her fleet because you're her friend, but because she can't havve twwo helmstrolls in her flagship she made you the helmstroll on my ship! Are you happy?!"

"N0." She stated. Despite her negative answer the ship calmed down, the static fading away from the speakers and the psionics that haunted the room dimming down until Aradia's body returned to its corpse like appearance, dangling limp like a cadaver.

"Um wwell," Eridan began, scratching behind his fin awkwardly. "Can you turn the ship around anywway? I kinda don't wwanna get me and the entire fuckin ship burnt alivve by a star!"

"N0."

"I get you're mad but, hurlin us into the nearest sun wwill solvve nothin!"

"N0. Y0u d0n't."

"Wwhat?"

"Y0u d0n't 'get I'm mad'!" The speakers blurted "Y0u are the Empress' right hand tr0ll. Y0u have a w0rking body. Y0u get t0 sleep, and eat f00d that isn't injected. Y0u d0n't have wires in y0ur spine and brain and are used as a battery!"  
"I-I don't wwant to havve to get the engineers to use the manual controls again Aradia, b-but if you don't turn this ship around-"

"What will you d0? Sh0ck me again?! Take away my speak-?!" There was a robotic screech through the speakers as Aradia's body began to spasm, a heavy electric shock pulsing through her veins. Eridan recoiled at the sight, not wanting to watch his friends body move like a rag doll. He felt a buzz in his palm and looked down at is handheld control pad to see a message from the engineers.  
'Back on course. Helmstroll 2134 automatically scheduled for maintenance check and behavioural therapy.'  
Eridan let loose a sigh of relief before remembering what happens during behavioural therapy.

"Aradia? You can-can you hear me? Are you ok?" He approached her body nervously, reaching for her hanging head and putting a palm to her cheek. He lifted up her head to look into her white eyes, suddenly noticing the blood that dripped from her nose and mouth.

If she were to die, the backup generators could only run for a sweep or two, the rescue ships only barely able to come in time before he starved to death or the ship ran out of power.  
"Holy shit! Aradia? Aradia! Hey can we get a medic or somethin'!? HEY!" As he called, the bio-engineers marched in and began to unplug a wire on her spine before plunging a giant needle into Aradia's neck, her head rising up as she took a sharp gasp, the ship rumbling. Aradia began to pant and panic, feeling herself live and breathe, pulse returning and vision fading into focus. Everything felt like too much.

"Aradia! Can you hear me?" Eridan asked, watching intently. Aradia's breathing slowed down and deepened, the girl looking around. She had almost forgotten what it was like to see colours and shapes. Too bad all she could see was Eridan...

"Hah...I..." Aradia strained, her voice hoarse and cracking from lack of use. "I-I'm...alive. I'm here!" She began to move, but was quickly overwhelmed by the worst pain she ever felt jetting through her body. Looking to the source, she nearly threw up seeing giant wires held in place by plugs that have long since been lost under mountains of scars, as well as smaller wires that seemed to be absorbed by her skin. Aradia began to panic again, realising that her arms and legs were trapped in a violet, flesh-like putty, her psionics being pulled out of her, sapped from her mind and very being.

"St-stop movvin', you're goin to-" Aradia began to scream and panic, trying to pull herself out but only feeling intense agony.

"Ah! Hah-wh-stop-make it stop!" Aradia pleaded, Eridan stepping back as the bio-engineers began to discuss what to do. "Please-it-it hurts! It hurts so much-stop."

"Do somethin!" Eridan hissed at the bio-engineers "It's ok, you're not going to hurt anymore. They just needed to bring you back temporarily so that wwe could get you back online. Wwe'll make it stop noww." Eridan tried to say softly, but his words and the approaching bio-engineers just made her panic even more.

"No! I don't-I don't want to die-not again! Don't bring me back there!" Aradia pulled her head back, trying to escape the needle. Eridan turned away, not wanting to see her fight.

"Look at me." Aradia said calmly, her quiet yet commanding words catching Eridan off guard. Despite this he didn't turn around. "Look at me!" Eridan flinched.  
"Look at the troll you're going to kill when you kill her!" Eridan began to walk away, lowering his head in shame and guilt. "Look at me when you kill me!" Aradia shrieked, tears rolling down her cheeks as she felt the needle pierce her skin.

Her body tensed up entirely, dead eyes going wide before she went limp, head lolling down.  
"Captain, the ship is back online."

"Th-thanks." Eridan said nervously, walking out of the room but still feeling Aradia's presence follow him.

 

\--

 

The ship stirred with life, all hands on deck made busy. After all, it wasn't everyday the Empress of the entire universe graced the ships halls.  
"So howw has Sol been?" Eridan asked, trying to hold the pain behind his voice.

")(e's been doing great!" Feferi chirped, the way she beamed almost making him feel better. ")(e is SUC)( a good helmsman! I keep having tuna upgrade the ship to handle his power!"

"Oh...I..." Eridan paused "Wwell wwhat I meant wwas: Howw has he been doin? Havve you talked to him?" Feferi's smile drooped to something more solemn and pensive.

"No...he hasn't been talking to me lately. I've had him sent for behavioural checks but, he just won't sea-k to me. Sometimes I wonder what I've done wrong. I mean, I give him internet access, keep him clean, give him the best engineers in the UNIV-ERS-E, and he ignores me!" Feferi ranted, Eridan visibly shocked at what his moirail had turned into. Feferi took this as him agreeing with her. "I know, right! I hope he turns around soon. )(ow's your helmstroll been?"

"Aradia? She's not talking to me either. About a swweep ago she wwas...acting out and wwas shocked to...to death. The bio-engineers had to bring her back to life. I wwas honestly plannin on keeping her there, but than she started to feel a lot of pain, so she had to be sedated and put back into the mainframe."

"Aw. That's reely a shame. Does she still work?" Eridan was taken back by Feferi's question.

"Wwhat? Yes...she does."

"That's good, how aboat we sea her now?" Feferi urged, grabbing Eridans hand and dragging him along to the helm.

"Are you-Fef-I don't think that this is such a good idea." Eridan clutched onto the wall as Feferi waltzed over to Aradia.

"Aradia! I haven't seen you in forever!" The room seemed to remain silent. "So how is it, being Eridans helm? His ship is amazing, I made sure that it was the best, for him SAND you. After all, you're one of my closest fronds!"

The room was still silent.

"Come on Aradia! Don't be like Sollux and just ignore me! Say something!" She pleaded.

"S0llux?" The speakers hummed. "D0n't tell me that y0u HURT S0llux."

"What? )(e's my helmstroll, he's really good at it tuna!"

"H0w c0uld y0u? H0w c0uld y0u d0 this t0 S0llux? He was y0ur matesprite."

")(e still is!" The speakers crackled with a brief moment of static. "And that's W)(Y you are helmstrolls! I am shore I had Eridan explain this. If you are helmstrolls, than we can stay fronds forever, and we won't drift apart!"

"Y0u're a m0nster." Feferi looked hurt by her words, suddenly not looking so grand.

"You...you're lying. I'm not a monster! It's just that sometimes I have to do bad things to do good in the long run. Being a leader is difficult you know!"

"Y0u're turning int0 the previ0us Empress."

"No I'm not! Fronds shouldn't talk to fronds like that!"

"Friends sh0uldn't turn friends int0 batteries like that." There was a click in the speakers, signifying that Aradia wasn't going to talk anymore.

"Aradia!" Feferi huffed, pouting and twirling on her heels, thinking for a second before looking at Eridan with wide eyes. "Eridan, can we bring her back?" Eridan was taken aback, literally stepping away from the advancing Empress.

"Wwhat?! No! Wwe ca-can't do that!" Eridan argued, his face twisting as Feferi's only sweetened.

"Yes we can, shelly! I'm the Empress, I can do what I want. If we bring her back, we can get her to talk to us! I had no idea that this was an actual opocean! I could fin-ally get Sollux to talk to me!" Feferi argued, about to walk past but turning around when Eridan grabbed her arm.

"Wwhat do you wwaant to say to her?! If you bring her back than she'll just get mad, and be in pain, then she wwon't talk."

"Krill out, Eridan! I just want to talk, it'll be fin!" Feferi pulled herself from Eridans grip and walked out of the helmsblock, whispering something to a guard who quickly scurried off to Eridan's dismay. As soon as the guard was sent out, engineers scuttled in, Eridan watching in horror as they approached Aradia with a familiar needle.

"Hey! Get awway from her!"

"Eridan, clam dowwn, trust me on fish. It'll be just pike old times!" Eridan stepped back, watching the needle pierce her skin after a plug was removed from her neck. As the engineers scuttled off again, Eridan could see her body twitch, head rising again.

"Aradia! Now we can talk without you ignoring me!" Feferi chirped, bending down so that her head was level with Aradia's.

"w...what?" Aradia asked quietly, Eridan shivering at hearing her haunting voice again. It was like hearing a phantom speak. "What have you done."

"Brought you back! Duh! It feels like we should talk more often. Being Empress of the universe shore takes a lot out of you! I've already had to quell 3 uprisings you minnow! First Karkat, than Vriska of all trolls, and than some jadeblood, Porrim, I think her name was."

"I shouldn't be here. Feferi! Undo what you just did RIGHT NOW! Do it before something bad happens!" Feferi looked hurt.

"I seal pike you're not listening to me."

"Fef, I think you should get her back to the mainframe." Eridan warned gently, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's fine. She is still having her psionics drained, she's just not in the mainframe!"

"That isn't wwhat I-"

"Feferi I have no idea why you're doing this-or-what-I-have-done-to-youbutpleaseI'msosorrypleasemakeitstop!"

"What's gotten into you? Why are you acting so weird?" Feferi asked naively, stroking Aradia's hair back to show her face, seeing tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for calling you a monster! Please-I'll-I'll do anything just put me back!"

"Fef I'm bein serious you should-"

"Ugh will you be quiet! I'm trying to talk here! Is no one even LIST-ENING TO M-E?!"

"Eridan!" Aradia cried, the sea dweller looking over at her with eyes full of terror and panic. "Eridan please do something! It hurts! It hurts so much." Eridan could feel his heart sting in his chest at the sight. Feferi wasn't so moved.

"Stop being SUCH a guppy! It probubbly doesn't even hurt T)(AT MUC)(!"

"Feferi I'm not-I'mnot joking around! Put-stop-it-it-hurts!" Eridan rushed over, pushing back a surprised and offended Feferi.

"Hey can wwe get an engineer here!" Eridan yelled, holding Aradia's head in his hand, trying to calm her down. The engineers scuttled in once more, jamming a needle into her neck again, head lolling down before a thick wire was re-plugged into her spine.

"Oh cod! I-I didn't know that she was actually in pain! I thought she was just exaggerating-I-" Feferi stammered, stepping back from Aradia's body.  
"I need to go." Eridan didn't try to catch up with her as she scampered away, looking at Aradia's body with dismay.


End file.
